9/11/01-9/11/11

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I was 12 years old on September 11, 2001.  I was in eighth grade.  I remember sitting in science class watching the news footage; not really understanding the magnitude of what was happening.

That morning — I used to sleep with my radio on for background noise — I heard about it on the radio as I was waking up.  In that halfway point between being awake and asleep, I thought I was dreaming it.  I also thought I had dreamt John Ritter’s death.  Once I realized that I wasn’t dreaming and that it was real, I still didn’t understand.

By the time I got to school, it had been determined that the planes were deliberately flown into the Twin Towers.  Into the Pentagon.  Some of the kids at school were trying to make it seem like our area was a target because of the missile storage or something, nearby.

We stayed the full day at school and when I got home, every station was covering the story.  I will never forget seeing footage of people jumping out of the towers to escape the fire.  I will never forget the footage of the planes flying into the towers and the towers collapsing being played over and over again.  I will never forget seeing the faces of the people in New York as they ran from Ground Zero and watched their home city in chaos.  I will never forget the estimated death toll rising throughout the day.  I will never forget.

Seeing the footage today, ten years later at age 22, is different.  In a way, I understand the magnitude of what happened.  I understand the loss and the fear that is now synonymous with that day.  I don’t think I’ll ever really understand, though, why.  I guess what it comes down to is that I can’t understand that level of hatred.  Hopefully I never will.

For the rest of my life, I will remember what happened on September 11, 2001 and how it affected me, even all the way across the country in California.  I’ll always remember what I was doing and where I was.  I will never forget.  I will never forget all of the people who were trapped and died in the World Trade Centers and the Pentagon.  I will never forget the people who were trapped in the hijacked planes that flew into the buildings and the field in Pennsylvania.  I will never forget the rescue workers that died trying to save those trapped people.  I will never forget how scared everyone was, how angry everyone was, how proud everyone was to be an American.

In Loving Memory.  

Where Have I Been?!

Excellent question.  I have had a busy last month and a half.  I spent a few weeks in Florida trying not to be struck by lightning or washed away by the outskirts of Hurricane Irene while enduring abysmal internet access.  Family tragedies and personal pains accompanied with an evidently weak immune system have also hampered my updates.  School is getting ready to start up again and with it, the stresses of literature and administration.  Graduation is applied for; now all I need to do is apply for graduate school.

You don't care about any of this, I'm sure.  Let's get to the crux of the matter, shall we?  Let's talk about sustainability.

As I said, school has returned with vengeance and with it, long days spent on campus trying to avoid the snack machines and the questionable nutrition provided by the Student Union.  On my campus, there is a deli, chinese food, pizza, sushi, burgers, and sandwiches of varying sorts.  Notice a pattern?  All meaty.  This offers me few options outside of the vending machine.  What do I do?  I bring food from home.

I like to bring sugar snap peas, carrots, pretzels, chips, clementines, granola bars, and whatever else I can think of that I know will travel well.  With all of this, I put trust in my fearless reusable water bottle.  This one was courtesy of New Wave Enviro.  

It is my Pandabulous water bottle that I wrote about previously.  Along with water bottles, New Wave Enviro also has water filters to ensure that your drinking water is as pure as it could possibly be and they also carry storage containers for lunch travel.  My personal favorite is the stainless steel container.  Like with the stainless steel water bottle, it is the safest in storage because there is no leeching.  

By using reusable things like water bottles and tupperware, you use less plastic bags and packing thereby creating less waste and saving money.  Win win.

Our Planet Isn't Disposable, Why Should Our Society Be?

Reuseit Reusable Set

Unless you grow your own food or dumpster dive, grocery shopping is sort of a must.  A friend of mine has the habit of throwing everything -- including produce -- into her cart and then into her car; no bags of any kind.  I just can't wrap my brain around that.  The way I see it is that I just spent precious money on this food and I need to keep it safe and protected until it can be safely stowed away in my kitchen.  For me, this requires so sort of capsule to store it all in.

Yes, this entry is about reusable shopping bags.  Reusable shopping bags are a great way to cut down your plastic impact on the environment.  With the use of reusable bags, less plastic bags are ending up in landfills where they pollute the ground and never break down.  Also, if your concerns are a little bit closer to your own comfort than the environmental impact of plastic, look at it this way:  reusable bags are meant to last which means they are not going to rip and tear like plastic bags.  Less hassle.

Grocery stores carry reusable bags.  Trader Joe's, has one design that is only 99-cents per bag.  My roommate has about ten reusable bags from Walmart that she uses for her grocery shopping.  If you want something that fits your personality or style or perhaps you are looking for specific materials, whatever the case may be, I recommend Reuseit.  They even have a thermal bag to keep frozen items cold.  Genius.  Many of these bags are made out of recyclable materials and even come in sets for your convenience.  Reusable things are the easiest way to limit your negative impact on the environment. 

For our own convenience, we've created this disposable culture and now we're drowning in it.  I don't know about you, but I don't want to be disposable.

Vegans Need Shoes, Too.

For a lot of people, I think the challenge with being vegan comes not from food choices but life choices.  What do you wear?  This may sound like a stupid question, to some.  Just wear cotton shirts and jeans; don't wear leather, wool, or silk.  There, dilemma averted.  It's really not that simple, though.  Yes, don't wear leather, wool, or silk.  Just like with food, however, other animal parts and fluids find their way into the fashion industry through products besides leather, wool, and silk. 
The biggest problem is shoes.  Finding vegan shoes can be a daunting task for a lot of people.  Even if you manage to avoid leather, you are still dealing with potential glues made from animals and then there is the issue of sustainability.  How were these shoes made?  What was the impact on the environment?  Was a sweatshop used?  There are so many questions to ask.  There is one, however, that never needs asking:  do I have to sacrifice fashion for compassion?  No, you don't.

There are a lot of great brands that have vegan and sustainable lines.  So, if you're interested in How To Find Fashionable Vegan Shoes, follow me.

The article above, courtesy of One Green Planet, lists international shoe sellers.  There are lines from London, the UK, Portugal, and Brazil.  If, like me, you would like to stay a tad bit closer to home and/or don't want to have to deal with the dollars pathetic translation, there are great options in the states.  In New York, there is a place called MooShoes.  It is kind of like a one-stop-shop for vegan shoes.  I recommend the sale section, unless you're used to spending $100+ on a pair of shoes.  Follow your heart.

If you want something more readily available where you are, I recommend olsen Haus.  Now, I know what you're saying... these are still pretty expensive.  I know that.  Here's the thing.  Shoes get a lot of use; a lot of wear and tear.  These are quality shoes made from quality materials manufactured in a sustainable, reusable way.  These aren't Old Navy's $2 flip-flops.  For something more affordable, check out TOMS vegan line.  Out of everything you wear, shoes are one thing you definitely shouldn't cheap out on.  They protect your feet and endure the most abuse. 

Check out the One Green Planet article and the next time you're out buying shoes, think about what they're made out of, how long they will last, and if it's really worth what you're paying.

Justin Has Stolen My Heart

Image from here.

So, do you remember that pesky nutella problem I have?  Of course you do.  Good news.  Nutella has met its match with Justin's Nut Butter.  I stumbled upon it during a gluten-free adventure two weeks ago.  When I saw it, everything went into slow motion as I approached the jar '80's teen movie style; with the bass in my ear and the beat reverberating through the aisles.  Please, I thought.  Please let this be dairy free.

Then I picked up the jar and nervously turned it over to examine the ingredient list.  Dairy-free.  The heavens opened up and angels sang and Republicans and Democrats embraced in the streets and nothing hurt.  I had found it. 

Justin's has chocolate almond, peanut, and hazelnut butter.  Honey almond, and peanut butter.  Regular peanut and almond butter.  And maple almond butter.  Plus dark chocolate and milk chocolate peanut butter cups.  The milk chocolate peanut butter cups are not vegan, as well as the honey products.  Everything else is vegan!  Exciting, yeah?  I know.  Personally, I've never liked honey so there is no loss there, for me, and I've always preferred dark chocolate.

It is all sustainably harvested and green and something you can feel good about.  Is it expensive?  I suppose it could be classified as such.  Let's remember, though, that we're looking at quality, here.  It's not like this is an apple or something that you would have all in one sitting; it's something that is meant to last for a while.

Also, it comes in little individual squeeze packages.  For a student who spends all day in a classroom listening to the smooth stylings of Chaucer, translating middle-English, this is paramount.  You can find Justin's at specialty stores, Safeway, and Raley's -- that I know of.  The website also has a store-locater as these websites to tend to have.  And as always, you can buy it online if you really needed to.

Feel Better?

For those of you who follow me on twitter, you may have noticed that yesterday I retweeted one article multiple times from different sources.  That was deliberate, I can assure you.  It was on "Humane Meat."  The article was written by Nil Zacharias, co-founder of One Green Planet.  You can follow them on twitter, as well.  The article is called Humane Meat Is The Solution To What, Again?

As a vegetarian working on the transition into veganism, I have often pondered this question.  I have had discussions with people and sometimes, I've been roped into arguments about it.  Bottom line is:  people don't like to think about where their food comes from and making it seem like it comes from at least marginally happy animals makes them feel better.  Zacharias explores the ideas that buzz words and phrases like "free-range" and "humane" are used to ease the consciouses of the people buying the products; people who know what's going on in factory farms but don't care might be sociopaths; and a lot of people just don't want to know.

A friend of mine asked me why I don't just eat the meat from organic farmers where you know the animals were allowed to graze and were taken care of.  This bothered me for two specific reasons and then a number of less definable reasons. 

Number one:  I don't want to eat meat.  Period.  I do not agree with the practices employed by CAFO's; however, I wouldn't eat meat from anywhere because I am not okay with eating the flesh or byproducts of another animal regardless of where it came from.  True, grass-finished organic meat is vastly better for you than CAFO meat because it does not have all of the antibiotics and hormones injected into it and it grazes instead of being fed corn and God only knows what else.  If you are dead set on eating meat, you should get it from these places instead of supporting the practices of factory farming.  I, however, do not eat meat, do not want to eat meat, and will not eat meat, therefore, the topic is moot.

Number two:  he tends to try and pressure me out of vegetarianism/veganism.  When I asked him why he is always on my case about it, he told me it is because he feels pressured.  I never try and convert anyone or preach to them.  When people ask me something, I answer them.  When he wants to know things, I tell him.  When he asks me my reasons, I tell him.  From what I've heard and read, this is common among a lot of omnivores; they feel threatened or pressured or judged solely by the veg-lifestyle.  I can understand that.  It also supports the idea that "humane meat" makes them feel better.  If they buy this "humane meat" they can't be judged because they are looking out for the animals.

Here's the thing... what this entire things really comes down to is giving an abused animal an extra few inches of space doesn't really constitute as humane behavior.  Even if they figure out how to slaughter the animals in a more "humane" way, the fact of the matter is that these animals -- living breathing creatures that can feel pain and be scared -- are still being killed and treated as things; as a commodity.  This is because of supply and demand. 

People are demanding animal products at a startling rate.  As a result, the environment is suffering, people are getting exponentially unhealthier, and more and more animals are being raised for slaughter in order to meet the meat demand.  If everyone cut down on their animal consumption, the demand for it would lower so much that fewer animals would be raised for slaughter -- this would be reflected in peoples health and the environment, also.  The numbers are in and people want animal products.  The companies see the demand and supply it as quickly and efficiently for them as possible.  What all of this means, and the article talks about, is that everyone needs to work on being a conscious consumer.  Think about where the stuff you're buying comes from and what had to be done to get it and if stamping the word "humane" on the label makes the situation better or if it just makes you feel better.

Since the above incident, my friend has expressed to me a desire to go "a little veg" as he calls it.  He says he can't imagine not eating meat but he wants to be healthier.  I told him I would help him, if he wanted. 

Urgent Petition!



Picture from here.

Go here and sign the petition to defend The Richardson Grove State Park.  This park is home to old-grow redwood trees that are up to 1,000 years old.  They are not only part of California history but national history; world history.  These beautiful trees are part of a fragile environment that is home to endangered species.  Please help.  Sign the petition.  Tell as many people as you can about it so that they can sign it and we can save these beautiful trees and the wildlife that depend on them.  Besides, we need them, also.  Lungs, remember?